Seeing that it wasn't Lin Fengzhi, Gu Xingye withdrew his gaze, put his foot back on his bicycle, and entered the campus.
Yan Heqing didn't have to wait long before Lu Lin arrived.
This time, the driver was on the road. Yan Heqing sat in the back seat, while Lu Lin sat on the other side. Yan Heqing was carrying a rather heavy backpack. Lu Lin asked, "Are you bringing things to practice driving?"
"I brought some water and food." Yan Heqing took off his backpack, unzipped it, and took out a lunchbox.
It was a very ordinary stainless steel lunchbox, hot enough to burn your hands. He handed it to Lu Lin, saying, "I brought you breakfast." He seemed to only then remember, "Have you eaten?"
There was a paper bag beside Lu Lin, but he didn't touch it. "No."
I took the lunchbox and opened it. Steam rushed out first, revealing neatly arranged steamed dumplings, shaped like goldfish, their bulging bellies revealing the filling: fresh meat and cabbage.
Also, a small stainless steel fork.
Lu Lin forked a dumpling. "Have you already eaten?"
"I ate around six o'clock."
Lu Lin put it in his mouth, swallowed it, and then asked, "Did you wrap this?"
"Yes, but it's not freshly made. I made it a while ago and then froze it." Yan Heqing smiled. "I'll treat you to freshly made ones next time; the taste is definitely different."
Lu Lin forked another one, "This one is already very good."
The driver followed the navigation, keeping his eyes down and mind focused while driving.
Lu Lin is a germaphobe and never eats in the car; he only keeps a few bottles of water there.
The driver was skilled and avoided all the red lights, arriving at our destination in less than two hours.
Lu Lin and Yan Heqing got out of the car, and the driver drove off first.
The car was temporarily parked in the garden nursery owner's yard.
The boss, Zhu Xiumei, came out after hearing the commotion. Having been in business for decades and having met many people from all over the country, she could tell at a glance that Lu Lin's identity was not simple.
Having the opportunity to befriend such an important person, Zhu Xiumei was exceptionally enthusiastic and insisted on giving Yan Heqing honey.
"This batch is lychee honey. You like it, and we just happened to get some. Sit down and rest for a while before you go." Zhu Xiumei brought tea and water and called into the inner room, " Lao Zhang, Xiao Yan is here. Go and get two bottles of lychee honey."
Yan Heqing initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought of Lu Ruchan and changed his mind.
He wouldn't take it for nothing; he volunteered to go with the male boss to harvest honey.
"Wait here for me for a while?" Yan Heqing asked Lu Lin.
Lu Lin nodded, and Yan Heqing followed the male boss who had just come out to the backyard where the bees were kept.
Only Zhu Xiumei remained. Lu Lin had no desire to speak, nor did he touch his tea. Zhu Xiumei then broke the ice, "Are you Xiao Yan's relative?"
"No."
"Oh, he's a friend!" Zhu Xiumei started talking. " Xiao Yan helped me for two years, back in high school, I think. You know, he wasn't an adult then, so I was really nervous about asking him for help."
When Yan Heqing was mentioned, Lu Lin looked at Zhu Xiumei.
Zhu Xiumei got excited and immediately continued, "At first, I didn't dare to hire him, but he said that he didn't want money and it wouldn't count as working. He just wanted me to teach him how to grow gladiolus. Well, he's such No. 1 Primary School helping me, and he's so obedient and hardworking. How could I not pay him? So I secretly kept him on."
"And there's lychee honey. I taught him how to harvest honey, and I found out he'd never eaten honey before, so I filled a big bottle for him."
" Xiao Yan must be doing well now, right? He was so thin those two years, it was heartbreaking. I guess his family didn't treat him well. They invited him to eat with us, but we didn't have any fancy food, so we just made sure he had enough to eat."
Zhu Xiumei continued talking until footsteps were heard at the back door, at which point she stopped.
Yan Heqing bought three bottles of lychee honey, and the male shopkeeper, unaware of the reason, accepted the money.
Zhu Xiumei was exasperated, her eyes practically rolling to the sky. "This idiot!"
Didn't you see there's a potential big client here!
This is a complete disaster!
Before leaving, Lu Lin asked Zhu Xiumei for a business card.
Not long after they left, Zhu Xiumei received a phone call.
The woman on the other end of the line had a very pleasant voice; she wanted to sign a two-year flower contract with Xiumei Flower Garden.
Chapter 61
The car, costing tens of thousands of yuan, wasn't very spacious, and it felt a bit cramped for Lu Lin. He bent over and sat in the driver's seat, his head almost touching the roof, and his view was significantly obstructed.
Yan Heqing was also quite tall, and the two of them got into the car one after the other, making the car feel even more crowded.
The air was noticeably thinner.
Yan Heqing pulled on the seatbelt, but the original buckle had a minor problem; it wouldn't stay in place even after a while, and it would pop out as soon as he let go.
He turned slightly to the side and lowered his head to fiddle with it.
The soft, fluffy top of my hair has a faint shampoo scent, a very clean smell.
It diluted the smell of gasoline in the car.
Lu Lin's eyes flickered slightly, and he was about to speak when Yan Heqing fastened his seatbelt, looked up, and said, "This is the first time you've driven such a low-end car, isn't it?"
Their eyes met, and Lu Lin looked away first. He started the car. "No, my first bicycle was an old relic from my grandma's middle school days. It was considered high-end in her time, but for me, it's low-end."
Yan Heqing paused, "Your grandma's bicycle..."
"A pink women's bicycle." Lu Lin gazed ahead, his hands bent and resting on the reverse handlebars. "On the first day of junior high, I ran into Xie Yunjie and a few others, and he laughed at me."
After a brief pause, I ignored him. He said he was some kind of bully in Nanshan District during elementary school, and challenged me to meet him after school.
When Lu Lin brought up his matter for the first time, Yan Heqing, not understanding his meaning, followed up by asking, "Did you go?"
"I didn't go," Lu Lin said calmly. "I don't waste time on trivial matters."
" Mr. Xie doesn't seem like the type to let this go easily."
"On the third day after school, he and his gang ambushed my classroom."
Yan Heqing remained silent. Lu Lin wouldn't bring up this little incident for no reason; he had a purpose.
He didn't have to wait long before Lu Lin slowly spoke again, "I'm nothing special. I can ride a regular bicycle, and when I was younger, I used to get into fights and cause trouble. Two-yuan packs of instant noodles were a regular part of my diet."
Yan Heqing was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "I'm really good at cooking instant noodles. I'll treat you sometime."
He spoke of it casually.